Panthers bite the dust in 1947 controversy
Umpire’s call goes against home team and nearly causes riot
Y’er out!!!
The Kitchener Panthers have heard that thousands of times … after all, the team is entering its 100th year of baseball action.
One “Y’er out!!!” that still sticks in the craw of long-timeago fans occurred on Saturday, Sept. 13, 1947. Possibly, it cost Panthers the Inter-County Baseball Association’s Senior A title.
The game was in Victoria Park’s athletic ground, a large baseball/football field covering what is today the clock tower commons area.
More than 4,200 fans filed in for Game 7 against the London Majors. The crowd size was somewhat surprising because Game 3 the week before drew a Victoria Park record 5,720 fans. However, those 4,200 did not lack in passion — some actually had too much.
London surged ahead 6-0 in the third and Panthers starting pitcher Bobby Schnurr was replaced by Pat Boehmer, who limited the Majors to just one more run all game. Panthers replied with a run in the bottom of the inning and then London went ahead 7-1 in the fifth. The sixth and top of the seventh were quiet, but fireworks erupted after the seventh inning stretch. I’ll pilfer the Kitchener Daily Record reporter’s description:
“(Howie) Meeker first up, reached first when he was hit by a pitched ball. Schnurr was safe on McWaine’s boot and (Harry) Psutka loaded the bases with a pop infield single. Frank Slota flied to deep centre, allowing (Meeker) to score. Alex Sichewski batted for Eldy Weber and walked to bring up Boehmer. Boehmer hit to third and McFadden threw home in plenty of time to force Schnurr. Robertson threw to Kane at first but Boehmer was safe. Kane saw Psutka dashing to the plate in trying to score from second and whipped the ball to Robertson. Psutka slid in but was called out by (umpire Gordon) Bradshaw.”
Because of the size of the crowd, many spectators were standing along the third base fence in front of the bleachers. Some felt Harry Psutka had been safe and a few hotheads dashed onto the field to confront the umpire.
Fortunately, several Kitchener policemen were on duty and prevented a brawl. The score was now 7-2 for London. Kitchener added one more run in the eighth inning and threatened in the ninth but the comeback fizzled.
In a world of might-havebeens, the Bradshaw call was seen by the home crowd as pivotal despite the lopsided final score. When Bobby Schnurr grounded out to end the game, Bradshaw strolled over to the field-level press box. His lingering presence further incensed the crowd and several hundred jammed the area.
The umpire’s dressing room door was beside the home team’s dugout and Bradshaw, with six officers, moved in that direction. Some “fans” roughed up the police — it was touch-and-go whether serious harm might come to the umpire or officers. Safely in the dressing room under the grandstand, Bradshaw was forced to wait over an hour while scores of fans dawdled outside the stadium’s entrance hoping to confront him once more.
The Kitchener Daily Record’s sports editor had a field-side seat in the press box and in his column in the Monday paper he raged:
“There will be no bouquets handed out to the 150 fans who disgraced thousands of Kitchener baseball enthusiasts by their uncalled-for display Saturday afternoon at Victoria Park.”
In the odd way of playoffs in 1947, the Panthers went on to play a best-of-three series against Windsor Sterlings for the Senior B championship. Kitchener won at home on the following Wednesday but lost the next two in Windsor. Three of the Panthers’ star players, Howie Meeker, Pat Boehmer and Don Bauer, were away at hockey training camp for those two losses.
That’s just one of the many memorable moments in Panthers’ 100 years of bringing baseball thrills to Kitchener. The club’s website is kitchenerpanthers.com and there are plenty of home games in Season 100.